Highlights: IT in the Press

“The Right to Know Act,” a new bill introduced by a California congresswoman, would require companies like Facebook and Google to disclose to users the personal data that has been collected about them, and which third-party organizations it has been shared with, upon request. Companies say they would suffer from undue burden and high costs if the bill is made law, reports The Wall Street Journal.

In an interview in The Financial Times, Mark Raskino, vice president and Gartner fellow, reports that most CEOs and senior executives plan to increase their ITinvestments in 2013, with the focus likely to be on digital technologies. Raskino explains why this year marks a turning point and where exactly companies plan to invest.

It looks as if Google will soon be fighting antitrust complaints on two fronts in Europe. While the European commission is still investigating allegations of search manipulation, in which Google is said to favor its own services (YouTube, Google Shopping) in search results, antitrust authorities in Europe have now been called on to examine Google’s behavior in the mobile market. The Los Angeles Times reports.

PCsales in Q1 2013 were nearly 14% lower than they were in the first quarter of last year, according to an announcement by the research firm IDC. This is the most severe decline in PC sales since IDC began tracking sales figures in 1994, and it marks the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline. Is the post-PC era upon us, asks The New York Times.

What’s the deal with Bitcoin? The decentralized currency reached its highest value ever this week, at $266 per Bitcoin, before falling more than 60% in one day. Cnet.com explains the impetus of the exponential growth and the hacker attacks behind the dramatic fall.

Another first for Microsoft: The software company is developing a 7-inch version of its Surface tablets, reports The Wall Street Journal. In what many see as an attempt by Microsoft to gain greater traction in the tablet market, the 7-inch Surface would offer consumers an alternative to Google’s Nexus and Apple’s iPad Mini. Production is expected to begin this year.